The Garmin Instinct 3 is a very good sports and outdoors watch but it doesn’t stir strong feelings of tech lust or excitement in me – in a good way. It’s a purely functional, utilitarian gadget, ready to do whatever you want with no frills, aside from the inclusion of a colour AMOLED screen, a first for the Instinct series.
Sporting a G-Shock-mirroring look, I strapped the 45mm black version to my wrist for a month of walking, running and sleeping to see how the new Garmin fared. I’ve been left impressed by a no-nonsense watch that’s a great, non-distracting alternative to an Apple Watch or Pixel Watch if you love the outdoors but don’t care about notifications and apps.
I didn’t get to test the solar version of the Instinct 3 that offers free top ups in battery power simply from being outside in the sun. That version ditches the AMOLED screen for a monochrome, energy sipping Memory-in-Pixel (MIP) version instead, so you’ll have to decide if you want a watch you basically never have to charge, or the one I tested with a nicer display.
Having previously used the Instinct 2 Solar, I actually prefer the perk of never having to charge the watch. I’d have appreciated the new colour screen more if the Instinct 3 had features that would benefit from the upgrade, but it’s mostly aesthetic.
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